The Exorcism of Emily Rose
Lakeshore Entertainment’s and Sony Picture’s Exorcism of Emily Rose, a true-to-life story of a Catholic Priest accused of negligent homicide of Emily Rose, allegedly possessed by six demons and died after the failed exorcism, is another classic contribution to a short list of genuinely horrifying suspense movies of all time. Father Moore, played by Tom Wilkinson, meets this agnostic high=profiled lawyer Erin Brunner, played by Laura Linney, who acts as his defense lawyer. The entire sequence of the movie comes in as flashbacks based on testimonies of witnesses closed to Emily Rose and The Ring have fans seen another great horror movie. Throughout the movie, the viewer is led to the terrifying tale of a college freshman girl, from the beginnings of her demonic possession up to her final visions and death. The tension and drama, between the prosecution and defense, even between Erin Brunner’s struggle to believe the supernatural, is palpable throughout the entire movie. What made it so unique from The Exorcist is how the medical perspective of “demonic possession” was portrayed in the film, giving the spectator a privilege to analyze and use his or her discretion towards the topic of demonic possession. At the same time, The Exorcism of Emily Rose also touches on the spiritual dimension of demonic possession. In the world so sedated from materialism, the modern civilization has been so skeptical about demonic possessions and even the existence of God and Satan. In the movie, Father Moore explains to his lawyer that there is a battle between good and evil and whether she believes or not, Evil does exist.
The original inspiration for the movie was a book entitled "The Exorcism of Anneliese Michel" by Dr. Felicitas Goodman. She was the anthropologist called in as an expert on possession. However, the original was heavily adapted for cinematic purposes. It’s so loosely based on real events that the little summing-up texts that follow the end of the movie should not be considered to be accurate in any regard. Nor should the movie overall.
One shortcoming of this film though is the failure to give much emphasis on Emily Rose’s character. The movie, it seemed, appears to heavily focus on Father Moore and Erin Brunner. The events that happened in the life of Emily appear to be backdrops and not really enjoying the much of the spotlight as it should. Over-all though the movie is perhaps this year’s most suspense-filled thriller. Critic Megan Bashan writes, “Emily Rose will doubtlessly pose doctrinal problems for audiences from denominational backgrounds other than Catholicism, yet the film’s underlying themes speak to people of faith whether they believe Emily was possessed or not. The most affecting moments of the film don’t involve the Virgin Mary, the Crucifix, the Stigmata or any other traditionally Catholic symbol. Instead, they are those moments that unify us in our belief, such as when Father Moore stands in front of the judge to receive his sentence only to find that though the jury has found him guilty, they recommend a sentence of “time served.” “Father Moore,” instructs the judge with gravity, “you are guilty…and you are free.” Pray God that we all receive that same sentence on Judgment Day.” Now, for my personal list of Bests:
Best movie Lines: “Don’t Listen to what it says,” Father Moore says. Jason, Emily’s friend asks, “It?” to which the priest replied, “We won’t be dealing with Emily tonight.” Best Scene: The Exorcism at the barn. Best Effects: Emily in her dorm in catatonic and distorted position. Best Performance: Jennifer Carpenter who played Emily Rose. Best Score: it’s a 7 out of 10 and it’s going to be a classic!
The original inspiration for the movie was a book entitled "The Exorcism of Anneliese Michel" by Dr. Felicitas Goodman. She was the anthropologist called in as an expert on possession. However, the original was heavily adapted for cinematic purposes. It’s so loosely based on real events that the little summing-up texts that follow the end of the movie should not be considered to be accurate in any regard. Nor should the movie overall.
One shortcoming of this film though is the failure to give much emphasis on Emily Rose’s character. The movie, it seemed, appears to heavily focus on Father Moore and Erin Brunner. The events that happened in the life of Emily appear to be backdrops and not really enjoying the much of the spotlight as it should. Over-all though the movie is perhaps this year’s most suspense-filled thriller. Critic Megan Bashan writes, “Emily Rose will doubtlessly pose doctrinal problems for audiences from denominational backgrounds other than Catholicism, yet the film’s underlying themes speak to people of faith whether they believe Emily was possessed or not. The most affecting moments of the film don’t involve the Virgin Mary, the Crucifix, the Stigmata or any other traditionally Catholic symbol. Instead, they are those moments that unify us in our belief, such as when Father Moore stands in front of the judge to receive his sentence only to find that though the jury has found him guilty, they recommend a sentence of “time served.” “Father Moore,” instructs the judge with gravity, “you are guilty…and you are free.” Pray God that we all receive that same sentence on Judgment Day.” Now, for my personal list of Bests:
Best movie Lines: “Don’t Listen to what it says,” Father Moore says. Jason, Emily’s friend asks, “It?” to which the priest replied, “We won’t be dealing with Emily tonight.” Best Scene: The Exorcism at the barn. Best Effects: Emily in her dorm in catatonic and distorted position. Best Performance: Jennifer Carpenter who played Emily Rose. Best Score: it’s a 7 out of 10 and it’s going to be a classic!
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